A Painter and Two Poets on Creativity-by Devi Nina Bingham

 

With the exception of the fact that all three artists revealed how they create their ideas and that for them all, creative ideas come from the subconscious, I could not perceive a strong relationship between the painter Max Ernst and the poets Amy Lowell and Stephen Spender. D.H. Lawrence, a writer who passed away in 1966, claimed that art should not be taught at art schools as a science and that instead, a student should be trained and evaluated based on his level of "purity of spirit," which he characterized as "supremely delicate awareness" and "sensitive awareness." He appeared to be advocating that academic institutions should focus on helping students build their emotional intelligence (E.Q.). The other artists avoided making clear references to emotional intelligence.

Max Ernst-Inspiration to Order

Ernst first gave off the impression of being a raving lunatic on a drug trip. Then he said two things that intrigued me: the first was about automatic writing, and the second was about the "objects" he perceived when he extracted a drawing from the wood grain in the cottage's floor. When referring to automatic writing, he states that "The author is present as a spectator, indifferent and unimpassioned at the birth of his own work and observes the phases of his own development" (59 Ernst). "I had only to reproduce obediently what made itself visible within me," he says of the drawings (61 Ernst). He clarifies the significance of this by pointing out that Surrealism originated in the unconscious mind, which is where the invisible becomes visible.

            Amy Lowell-The Process of Making Poetry

           This poet acknowledges that she has no idea how a poem is created until it is known to her. She offers three potential responses to the query of how poetry is created: 1. the blending of opposing viewpoints 2. Relieving of emotional stress or irritability 3. A physiological condition that resembles daydreaming. She comes to the conclusion that creating art is enigmatic. She likens the poet to a radio that picks up radio signals and transforms them into sound. The subconscious of the artist "picks up" the signals and renders them as words on a page.

       As stated by Lowell: "...for only emotion can rouse the subconscious into action" (111 Lowell), emotion is the motivator, the unconscious fire that inspires the creation of art. In her description of the balance between the conscious and unconscious that an artist must maintain, she hears the subconscious as a voice in her brain and states: "This is the reason a poet must be both born and made" (111, Lowell). She explains her inventive procedure: She puts all other projects on hold when a poem-writing idea comes to her and concentrates only on the spoken words. She does, however, caution that the subconscious will only produce and will not be rushed.

            Stephen Spender-The Making of a Poem

           This poet acknowledges that every artist has a unique process for creating. He does, however, identify qualities that all poets must have: 1. They must visualize. 2. They must be fluent in language 3. They must possess a particular "madness" he refers to as "Surrealism." He clearly clarifies what poetry is not. It is not as unreasonable as beginning poets believe. Additionally, it is not a variety of forms like expressionism, surrealism, or free verse.

        He argues that the poet's toughest opponent is himself. A creative individual has to develop indulged own routines in order to focus. Such behaviors like smoking or drinking coffee keep individuals' content as they work. Artificial diversion is to provide a toy for a portion of the mind to play with. Small, active routines keep that portion of the mind engaged so the creative portion may work unrestrictedly. A secondary explanation for why focus is too frequently disrupted is that writing makes one forget their body, which is disruptive. Smoking is used to tie the body to the physical world in order to correct this momentary imbalance. He separates the concentration into two groups: 1. Immediate and complete 2. Plodding, in stages. He gives examples of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart composed in his head, immediately, while Beethoven wrote in notebooks and developed sketches over many years.

            His definition of "inspiration" describes events that take place before and after writing. Between are "sweat and toil" (119 Spender). He observes that poetry is fundamentally narcissistic, that is, centered on the poet's perceptions. Then, seemingly in opposition to himself, he asserts that poetry is sacred: "I have always felt that a poet's was a sacred vocation, like a saint" (123 Spender). Although he calls the poet "divinely inspired," he also calls the poet "incomplete" and "lacking in craft perfection." While acknowledging his human limitations, he is aware of his noble intentions.

                                              Works Cited

Eric, Maisel. Fearless Creating: A Step-by-Step Guide to Beginning and Completing Your Work of Art. Penguin Putnam, Inc. 1995, pp. 123-231.

 Ernst, Max. “From Inspiration to Order.” The Creative Process: A Symposium, edited by Brewster Ghiselin, University of California Press, 1985, pp. 58-61.

 

Lowell, Amy. “The Process of Making Poetry.” The Creative Process: A Symposium, edited by Brewster Ghiselin, University of California Press, 1985, pp. 110-112.

 

Spender, Stephen. “The Making of a Poem.” The Creative Process: A Symposium, edited by Brewster Ghiselin, University of California Press, 1985, pp. 113-126.